Kittens

Well, the kittens are 7 weeks old. Almost time to wean them and get their first shots. We have been working on getting them forever homes of the best quality which is hard to do. Wish us luck! As soon as the kittens cooperate, there will be pictures of all 4 of them.

Smokie, is checking out my husband's work boots.

Garfield likes to play with the plants.

Callie K. Cat and Family

We brought Elvira's large travel crate in and cleaned it all up, added a litter box and some towels, set the bottom of the little cat crate in for a nest and added more towels to that, on Sunday the 8th and Callie presented us with 4 kittens on Monday, Sept. 9th. Elvira seems to accepted Callie and will lay in front of the crate door and peer in at the Callie and the kittens. We are calling it Cat TV. Elvira watches and watches. The babies are growing fast and at 4 weeks they want out to play! When we let Callie out of the kennel they rush the door. Our house isn't kitten proof though so they have to stay in the kennel a bit longer. Two of the kittens are Polydactyl, which means they have extra toes. 

Callie Kinsington Cat

Well, it has been quite the hot and dry summer here but it has been made more interesting by the addition to our family, Callie. While we didn't plan to have a cat this one came to us one day, sweet as can be. She walked right into the house and jumped up on the counter as if she belonged... Obviously she had been a people cat. I keep saying cat when actually she was a kitten that was so thin she was just skin stretched over bone. Poor little thing was almost starved to death. You could see that her fur around her neck had been roughed up as if she had had a collar on for a long time and it took several weeks for the fur to lie properly. We can only suppose that she had a collar on and got trapped someplace until she got so thin she was able to extract herself. Only Callie knows what really happened and she isn't talking... well except to complain when her food dish is empty! It's been a little over a month since Callie made her appearance and she is looking so much better! However... Elvira (our dog) isn't so sure she belongs here and makes sure she doesn't come into the house. So, Callie is an outdoor kitty for now. Oh, she also brought fleas with her, which isn't something we usually have around here. I had tried to clean and medicate an abscess that she had on her jaw, but it wasn't clearing up. So, we had to visit the veterinary and have the abscess lanced, flea control applied and a shot of antibiotics. We have tried to locate her family, however there have been no reports of a lost kitty at the animal shelter or in the paper. Guess she has found a home here, at least for now.

July 26. Callie has been with us for about a week now.

August 10th... looking so much better!

We might be fishing

Well, if you can't find us in the garden, we might be off fishing. Ok, my husband is fishing and I'm taking pictures of wildflowers.

Chives in Bloom ~ add some to your garden!

Chives are a mild flavored tasty little cousin to onions. We add them to many dishes that need a bit of flavor but not the sometimes overwhelming flavor of onion. Not only do they reseed themselves around my garden, I split the plants up and have them in pots that can be brought in for winter use. If you want a constant supply for the summer don't cut all of the clump at once, leave some uncut for the next use. It takes a couple of weeks for them to recover enough for another cutting.

Chives in bloom... in the pathway

Bishop Weed, also known as Goutweed

Bishop Weed, also known as Goutweed ~ Aegopodium podagraria

 My experience with both varieties of Bishop Weed is a love/hate relationship. They are easy to grow, are deer and rabbit proof, and spread easily. Ah, but there is the problem... they spread! Everywhere! You can pull them up, dig them up, mow them down and next year you will find them in the same area from rhizomes left from pulling and in new areas as they also spread from seed. The ones pictured were pulled up last summer and they are back as if they hadn't been touched. If you really, really want them, I suggest growing them in pots and cutting and destroying the flowers before they set seed. As they are an invasive plant, you may want to avoid them in areas where you want to keep native wild plants as these will choke out just about every thing else. It is banned from being sold in some states. It was brought here here as an ornamental plant in the 1850's, it is native to Europe, Northern Asia and Siberia. Before you decide to plant Bishop Weed please read the comments: http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/546/#b  Also read: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aegopodium_podagraria
Aegopodium podagraria, commonly called ground elder, herb gerard, bishop's weed, goutweed, and snow-in-the-mountain, is a perennial plant in the carrot family (Apiaceae) that grows in shady places. The name "ground elder" comes from the superficial similarity of its leaves and flowers to those of elder (Sambucus), which is unrelated. It is the type species of the genus Aegopodium. This species is native to Eurasia, and has been introduced around the world as an ornamental plant, where it occasionally poses an ecological threat as an invasive exotic plant.
I do use the flowers (which are quite fragrant) and leafy stems in arrangements but you have to presoak them before using as the wilt rather quickly. As for it being edible, I wouldn't try it. It's medicinal properties need more research.

Bishop Weed-Snow on the Mountain ~ Aegopodium podagraria 'Variegatum'

Egyptian walking onions (multiplier onion)

Egyptian walking onions (Allium cepa var. proliferum) are unique in that they grow bulblets on top of their stalks. It’s been a constant in my garden for about 30 years. This is one plant (of many) that does well all over the garden, the pathways, and any other spot it can find! It’s not quite time for the little bulblets to form, but very close. It’s great to have around for adding to salads, first thing in the spring, along with some fresh chives and garlic leaves. Add some fresh thyme and oregano and you have a great bundle of herbs for cooking just about anything.

Walking onions, garlic, oregano & lemon mint, in the pathway, of course.

Bulblets forming... won't be long!